It’s Getting Hot In Here

The Spring Edition of RTNA’s newsletter, Burning Issues, is out!  Click the image above, or HERE to download.  This season’s pieces include:

• direct action halting of heavy-haulers carrying tar-sands equipment shipments through Montana
• updates on Tim DeCristopher, his trial, and the next phase of resistance
• the resistance’s Nuclear Reaction- false dichotomies of energy, false solutions of nuclear, and where to go from there
• Kentuckians occupying their governor’s offices to demand the abolition of MTR
• shutdowns of the National Coal Council’s meeting in St. Louis
• Canadian resistance to the tar sands, including a takeover of trade ministerial office
• Olympia RT’s kickass campaign to stop a biomass power at Evergreen State College
• the March on Blair Mountain, and reports from the Coalfields
• a one-year lookback at the Gulf, from disaster to resumption of drilling
• and much more– take a look!

Rising Tide North America invites all residents, students and youth to join the Reclaim Power.

WHAT: Reclaim Power March & Creative Direct Actions

WHERE: Lafayette Square (H St NW & Jackson Pl NW); Washington D.C.

WHEN: April 18th at the end of the Powershift rally (scheduled from 10am-1pm)

CONTACT: extraction@risingtidenorthamerica.org

From April 15th through the 18th, thousands of students and youth will be attending Powershift 2011. This conference has been billed as another opportunity to do something about climate change. Throughout the conference, Democratic politicians from Al Gore to Lisa Jackson will tell us the solution is to lobby, vote and work within the corporate-owned political system to stop climate change. They will tell us that supporting the existing leadership’s policies and the creation of carbon markets will stem the rising tide of carbon emissions slowly destroying our planet.

Do we really believe the answers lie in supporting a broken democracy and a carbon trading market that only makes bankers and oil men richer?

Despite Obama’s promises on the climate and the environment, things are only getting worse. Continue reading ‘Reclaim Power in Washington D.C.! A Call to Action on April 18th at the End of Powershift’

UPDATE: Everyone is out of jail charged with a misdemeanor trespass.

**Donate to legal support

Things are heating up in the Rockies!

**See the pictures here

Five Arrested at Valmont Power Plant in Colorado

Boulder Activists Unfurl Banner and Erect Wind Turbines on Top of Giant Coal Pile

Boulder, CO – At approximately 12:45 today, four activists climbed onto the massive coal pile in front of the Valmont Power Plant.  An enormous banner was deployed down the front of the coal pile reading “RENEWABLES NOW” and two large mock wind turbines were erected on top of the coal pile.  The activists reclaimed the coal pile to display their message for approximately 1.5 hours, before they were taken into custody.

Meanwhile a rally took place on outside of the Valmont Power Plant.  Bill McKibben, a leading climate change activist and founder of 350.org, who happened to be in Boulder for a speaking event, came out to the rally and expressed his support for those on the coal pile.

“Our leaders have been listening to the coal industry instead of the science and now people need to take the lead and that is what they are doing.  The action today is great and what is so great about it is that the same thing is happening all around the world. Everywhere people are showing the same kind of courage,” said Mr. McKibben.

The protest, which occurred less than one week after the 40thAnniversary of Earth Day, comes as Boulder is considering whether to renew a 20 year franchise agreement with Xcel.  Recently, the Boulder City Council and
City Manager suggested that Boulder should delay signing a new franchise agreement to allow more time to negotiate with Xcel about implementing a stronger renewable energy plan. Continue reading ‘Five Arrested at Valmont Power Plant in Colorado’

Yesterday I had the honor of delivering the Commonwealth Challenge to Massachusetts lawmakers, asking them to pass “An Act to Create a Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force”, a bill that would set up a task force to pursue 100% clean electricity by 2020. Marla Marcum and I delivered a letter describing the results of the campaign along with the 350 names (coincidence?) of those who have taken the Commonwealth Challenge Pledge to the 160 Massachusetts State Representatives and 40 State Senators.

Thanks to the actions of the Commonwealth Challenge participants and the courageous efforts of the Leadership Campaign, yesterday afternoon Chairman John Binienda indicated that he would have the conversations necessary to move our bill out of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives. This is a critical step that would allow the bill to get a full hearing.

Earlier in the day, I was privileged to announce (dressed in Colonial brown) the accomplishments of the Commonwealth Challenge at the “Climate Courage Awards” in the Massachusetts State House:

Continue reading ‘Massachusetts: Follow Our Lead’

Posted on behalf of Katie Chin, New Media Coordinator of Students for a Just and Stable Future

On this historic 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, participants in The Leadership Campaign have once again reminded us all of the courage necessary to create the just and stable future called for in 1970. The Leadership Campaign is a Massachusetts coalition of students, community members, and members of the faith community. Together they have introduced legislation demanding that Massachusetts create a plan to reach 100% clean electricity by 2020. Since the introduction of “An Act to Create A Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force” on December 7, 2010 the campaign has worked diligently towards gaining support throughout the state for this bold and important bill.

Currently the bill is held up in the House Committee on Rules, headed by Representative John Binienda. Representative Binienda has the power to release the bill. He has claimed that he supports the goal of 100% clean electricity by 2020, but has nonetheless been blocking the bill and thus has prevented it from receiving a fair hearing. Today, the campaign conducted a stand-in direct action.

Continue reading ‘Stand-in Ends with Phone Conversation with House Rules Chair’

Cross-posted from HuffingtonPost

If you are like me, it’s easy to be cynical on Earth Day. For one day the public’s attention is turned to the environment, but largely what they see is advertisements for superficial eco-products, greenwash from some of the biggest and dirtiest corporations, and talking points from politicians – there is very little discussion of creating a bright green economy that can address our economic and environmental crises and provide opportunities to communities who are too often stricken with environmental injustice.

It’s easy to cast Earth Day off as nothing but a wasted opportunity, but only if we waste it. This should be our day! It’s up to each of us to talk to someone about why we do what we do, and recruit them into our efforts. Take a moment to talk up your great work, celebrate!

I’ll start: Today, as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, I’m excited because I’m actually thinking about the future. Millennials are on a generation-wide mission to transform our society and economy to one that works for us, to one that will provide millions of jobs for our generation, and put us to work staving off the climate crisis.

Continue reading ‘A Dash of Hope From An Earth Day Cynic’

Cross-posted from the Co2ncequence Blog

Welcome to the 40th Earth Day.

As the world celebrates 40 years of moving toward a cleaner, more environmentally friendly future, here in the biggest fight of our lives, this day is about work.

As youth, we see a future with a vastly different climate than what we have today, less jobs and dependence on foreign countries for energy. We see a country mired in 20th century policy as we delve deep into the 21st century. We will see more and more young Americans go off to fight wars that are funded on both sides by our insatiable desire for oil.

That is why the work cannot stop. We need a Senate brave enough to make to make history. We need to cut our dependence on oil, by building a clean energy economy. We need to cut our use of coal by putting a cap on carbon. We need to fight climate change by passing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, making our world livable and our economy strong. Continue reading ‘Earth Day 40′

Forty years ago tomorrow, there was a call for justice. Twenty million Americans heard that call and came together for the first Earth Day. It was bold. It was loud. It was right. And soon politicians who opposed strong environmental legislation started losing their jobs. There has been progress since 1970. But by and large, the movement to save the Earth has been wandering in the desert for the past forty years. Forty years is enough time to wander in the desert. It’s about time we crossed the river.

We cannot wait any longer. The world is burning. We need to get bolder. We cannot accept compromises. There is no room for negotiation. If real action on climate destabilization is not “politically feasible” then the politics need to change, because as Bill McKibben is fond of saying, physics and chemistry are very poor negotiators. And we need to get louder. A lot louder.

In Washington, a bill is about to be introduced that will almost certainly do next to nothing to stop global climatic disruption. And this is not unexpected — it is foolish to expect our politicians to lead us to a just and stable future. We must lead them. We must make real demands, and remove any politician who does not meet them. That is what democracy looks like.

Across the country now we are hearing a call. 100% Clean Electricity within this decade. It’s a good call, because it makes clear that this is a moral issue. People are losing their homes. People are dying. We never heard a call for 80% less slavery in in the next fifty years. Or 35% increases in a woman’s right to vote. Or get rid of segregation eventually. When something is wrong is has to stop completely and it has to stop immediately. Burning fossil fuels is wrong. It must be ended right now.

Continue reading ‘Earthday: The Movement We Need’

I have to agree with what author Bill McKibben had to say last Thursday about federal climate policy:

“The Obama administration has done more in its year and a half in office on climate change than all the other presidents of the global warming era combined. On the other hand, you know, I’ve drunk more beer than my twelve-year-old niece.”

The same could be said for climate policy in Massachusetts. Compared to a lot of places, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is ahead of the curve on climate change and green job creation. The average Bay State resident burns 13.24 tons of CO2 per year, 9th lowest in the United States. In the last 20 years, Massachusetts has lowered per capita CO2 emissions by about 1.6%. The trouble is, the laws of physics and chemistry don’t give points for effort. Either emissions will be reduced aggressively enough to avoid dangerous tipping points for the earth’s climate, or not.

According to the landmark “Copenhagen Diagnosis” released in December 2009, to “secure a decent chance of avoiding dangerous human interference with the climate system”, the world must reduce emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 85-90% below 1990 levels by 2050. In Massachusetts, that would mean getting from about 13.5 tons of CO2 per person per year in 1990 to around 8 tons by 2020 and 2 tons by 2050. Getting there is going to take courage.

Massachusetts Legislators don’t have to look far to see what leadership looks like. On March 4th a coalition of 32 organizations and businesses came together to form the Commonwealth Challenge. The campaign is producing results..

Continue reading ‘Courage’